6.25.2008

Well, isn't that special???

So, miss Mooooooooo tagged me for this damn book meme, and of course, I'm a sucker, and of course, it is so damn fitting.

Rules:
-Pick up the nearest book.
-Turn to page 123.
-Find the 5th sentence.
-Copy down the next three sentences.
-Pass it along.

So, I just finished My Sister's Keeper, and a few others, and here you have it:

--Kerri glances over her shoulder at me. "You look like shit."
"Thanks."

Gah, what the hell? Seriously?

So, I tried another book: My Life In and Out of the Rough by John Daly. My husband's book, although I don't think he's finished, let alone touched it a least a month.

--She was also absolutely drop-dead beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off her. But I got all shy for some reason.

Awwwwww.

Okay, so I'm tagging the following: Why Mom Drinks Rum, Danielle, My Second Journal, & DeeDee. Go. Now. Have fun trying to find something meaningful and blog-worthy on page 123.

***

Another blog-worthy topic that I could go on and on about.
I receive emails from my husband's aunt on occasion. Sometimes it is little updates about how things are going, but mostly it is stupid forwards. Okay, some are cute and sweet, but most are political in nature, and they.piss.me.off.
See, I am pretty liberal. But working for CPS for 6 years also put some pressure on my morals and standards. Now, I'm all for Free Speech and 'to each their own' and all that other bullshit, but seriously?
So today I get this email with 'Political Cartoons we don't see, but should'. Oh, frick.
And I go ahead and read them, and I'm all, "Oh, funny." Not.
But! At the very end of the email is this, bullshit statement:

"Thought for the day: Calling an illegal alien an 'undocumented immigrant' is like calling a drug dealer an 'unlicensed pharmacist'. "

Please. Go back and read.that.very.slowly.

Now, let me breathe a bit, before I get on my soapbox, and lay into this one. And beware, I am sure I will cuss on this one.

Are you fucking kidding me? Seriously??? Seriously. Okay, so I live in Texas, and yeah, yeah, Texas is really Mexico, according to all the fuckers who say this state is 'full of Mexicans'. Okay, fine. Whatever. But comparing people who are here illegally with dumbasses who sell drugs to anyone who will buy them? Uh, no.
I'm not really sure why, over the past few years, we have decided that it is all the filthy, undocumented Mexicans that are causing problems. Last time I checked, they bust their asses. They have taxes pulled out of their checks, just like you and me. They live quietly, and they send money home to their families.
Don't give me this shit that they are taking jobs away from 'us Americans'. In all my years growing up and working in restaurants, I never once saw a white or black (or any other race or ethnicity for that matter) dishwasher or busser. The guys who brick the houses? Hispanic. The guys who put on the roofs? Hispanic. Landscapers? Hispanic. Sheetrockers? Hispanic. Foundation work? Hispanic. Framers? Hispanic. Tile, wood floors, painting? Hispanic X 3.
Now, I'm not saying that there aren't any other races/ethnicitys doing these jobs. But the majority in this state are Hispanic.
And how about the ranch hands? Hispanic. Migrant workers? Hispanic.
The fact of the matter is: They are cheap labor. They bust their ass, they don't complain, they work long hours, and they are happy. In turn, we are happy because the cost of a house is much cheaper, since labor is cheaper. Those strawberries we eat? Guess whose filthy Mexican hands picked them??
Sure, they use county and state funds. Sure, they apply for Medicaid, and go to the county hospitals. But guess what? So do the poor, working class, and middle class Americans. No matter what color.
I just don't see how building a fence along the border is going to fix things. There will still be people who will deal in human trafficking, and they will still trickle into this country. And really, the problem of terrorism DID NOT originate in Mexico.

I don't see how sending people back, who have been here for years, will correct things. I don't see how separating families (illegal parents and their American-born children) is really going to make things better. What an example we are showing, to the rest of the world, huh?

I know that people get fired up about this issue. I know that people have things to say about why I shouldn't want an 'illegal immigrant' here. But the thing is, I don't see them as having a negative impact on my life. The things I'm more concerned about: gas prices, the war, the fucking Supreme Court overturning the idea that a person convicted of raping a child could be put to death, the meth epidemic. (Those are issues I will talk about soon)

I realize everyone has their own opinion, and I respect that. My opinion will not change on this subject.

As for my husband's aunt?: I delete the damn emails. I don't respond. I just don't want to seem disrespectful, so I keep my mouth shut. It's a bit annoying, because it's pretty constant, and I know she is trying to shove her opinion down my throat.

***
And lastly.....has anyone else noticed how buff Randy White is lately??? He's 55, but his body does not look it!

8 comments:

Misty said...

Some... er most... political conversations I RUN like HELL away from. 'Nough said.

Heather said...

Oh yeah, I was pretty pissed about the child rape issue. WTF?

Anyway, I have known of Mexicans who drive illegally, which makes me want to choke them. Other than that, I have a lot of pity for them. I used to work at a Burger King when I was in my 20's and there were several groups of Mexican construction workers who would come in. Sometimes they had one person who could order for them, otherwise they would all just order by number or by pointing. Then they would hand me their money, way too much and just have to hope I gave them back the right change. =( All they want is a better life for themselves, wouldn't anyone?
My hope is that some day we can get together with their government and help them so they have just as many resources in their own country as they can get coming here. I never have been able to understand why, in a country that was founded by people immigrating from different countries, wouldn't embrace them, or make it easier for them to come here. (As long as they pay their taxes, it should be a good thing for the goverment, right?) It kind of seems hypocritical, you know?

moo said...

Politics and family NEVER mix.

I liked BOTH of your book quotes ... FUN!

Anonymous said...

Sigh, so yeah. All I have in my office at the moment is my trashy romance novel. I could have cheated and waited till I got home...but, that's cheating. And I'm only about cheating if it yields financial rewards.

We have a high immigrant population here in Canada as well (not Hispanic...generally Asian and Middle Eastern) and they are super hard workers. My only complaint....the driving. For the LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY - the driving.

Kristie said...

Amen lady! The only thing I have to complain about is that I wish people from other countries (wherever they are from) would learn english. As I would learn their language if I moved to another country.

Anonymous said...

OK, I owe 2 people meme's but can't again today since I have to talk about plumbing..yeah I know boring shit.

I don't think you can compare drug dealers to illegals.. NOPE..
Big deal here..illegal was driving..and on drugs...crashed and killed people. Yes, his ass should be deported to a crap prison.
Illegal TRYING to be legal...NOT on medicare..they should NOT get deported.
Right?

Anonymous said...

Misty: yeah, i understand!

heather: Oh, I'm really upset about the child rape issue. It's unreal. I do agree that the people who drive illegally are an issue. And the trusting that someone will give you the correct change?-sad to me. So many people take advantage...

why mom drinks rum: Yeah, the driving is an issue here too. Either with no insurance and license, or just awful driving! by the way, I loved your trashy romance novel quote! So funny!


Kristie: I agree. But at the same time, I also think that we should just learn to be more tolerant. I mean, I have this feeling that the majority of americans SAY they would learn the language if they moved to another country, but I feel the reality would be that they would EXPECT others to speak english to them.

My 2nd journal: Yeah, dumbass who breaks the law, no matter what country he is from, should go to jail. I totally agree!

To all: I am totally not saying that they should be here no matter what. I mean, any ass that drives drunk and kills someone should go to jail, and if they are here illegally, should be deported. There are asses in every color, shape, size, and ethnicity. I just feel like we are focusing too much on the PERSON'S ETHNICITY, instead of focusing on the real problems they are causing, if any. Ya know?

Danielle said...

Sneaky tagger!

I did it...